Weekend Artoscope – Predictions and Picks March 15-17

That middle of March feeling hangs heavy on the vine this third weekend in the month. As we shake off the weight of last week’s circadian shift, we are confronted by final Decan of Pisces, a slippery water snake ruled by Mars. Heaving against the grasp of this constrictor as it threatens to squeeze our final breath, the question is whether we will be prepared when it releases us instead of consuming us whole. A very long email from the City of Trenton circulated last week re-assuring us that things were looking up, stuff was getting done, people were being honored, and it also included a list of ways we could keep from burning down our homes. Keeping too much water from backing up behind the dam is the first step towards creating the conditions necessary for the current to loosen us from the serpent’s hold. But once we are uncoiled, it now falls on us to swim safely through unfamiliar waters towards unexplored lands in search of unknown fortunes.

Friday, March 15 –

Passage Theater Benefit featuring Yusef Komunyakaa:Yusef Komunyakaa‘s poetry has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. His work weaves together personal narrative, jazz rhythms, and vernacular language to create complex images of life in peace and in war. He currently serves as the Distinguished Senior Poet in NYU’s graduate creative writing department. The benefit will also honor Mathematica Policy Research, a company that illuminates the path to progress for public- and private-sector changemakers. Dedicated to improving public well-being and reimagining the way the world gathers and uses data, they have been at the forefront of assessing the effectiveness of policies and programs for 50 years. New Jersey State Museum, 205 W. State St., Trenton, 6:30 PM Silent Auction/Cocktails/Hors d’Oeuvres, 7:45 PM Entertainment/Acknowledgement of Honorees, 9:00 PM Tea/Coffee/Desserts; $125.00, passagetheatre.org

Saturday, March 16

Artworks Opening Receptions: Bolts and Stitches:Peggy and Gene have been together for more than 30 years, having met while they were studying at the Atlanta College of Art. They keep separate studios in the home that they share with their two daughters. They often working simultaneously, listening to the sounds of each other’s process through the floorboards that separate them. Peggy’s work with cloth and stitch employs the sewing machine as both a construction tool and a drawing tool. Images of women are central in her narrative series dealing with themes of memory, current happenings, and portraiture. Gene’s sculpture is built upon narratives, some recounted and some imagined, for which the physical works become relics. Each artist pieces together complex works from a variety of new and repurposed materials. Each of the resulting works is constructed with a density of details that reward the viewer with more to experience the longer they spend with the work.Distance and Happiness, Dreams and Time – Group Exhibition:Curated by Jeff Evans, and featuring works by Gary Giordano, Buket Savci and Elena Chestnykh this exhibition presents four artists working in two-dimensional pictorial art, and specifically figurative art that considers images of women. The use of the female form throughout art history, in all cultures, has carried with it a myriad of emotions and been used to represent countless stories in fact and fiction. This exhibition explores that most direct use of images of women; to gather and attract viewers, and represent that which the artist most wants his or her audience to see. The artists are at once local, national, and international citizens, some with direct ties to the Delaware Valley and the greater Trenton area.Y.A.M. ( Youth Art Month) – AENJ:Each year, YAM Mercer County exhibits at Artworks giving students a chance to see their art hung in a gallery setting. This year’s exhibition is curated by Barbara Russo, Teacher at Hightstown High School. Artworks, 19 Everett Alley, Trenton, 7-9 pm, Free and Open to the Public, artworkstrenton.org

Her – Smith Family Foundation Gallery Opening

Sunday, March 17

Jeff Dunham – PASSIVELY AGGRESSIVE” Tour:Comedian Jeff Dunham and his delightfully twisted cohorts; Peanut, Walter, José Jalapeño, Bubba J, and of course, Achmed the Dead Terrorist stop in Trenton on his most recent tour. Dunham has built an entertainment empire over years of non-stop touring and innovation. With 10 million followers on Facebook and 1.8 million YouTube subscribers amassing over a billion views, Jeff has carved out his own unique space in the comedy world leading to record-breaking viewership with his comedy specials on Comedy Central and NBC. His astonishing arena packing power has put him on par with major music acts like Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars. Cure Arena, 81 Hamilton Ave., Trenton, 2 pm, $52.50-151.00, cureinsurancearena.com

To add your events to our community calendar, visit our calendar submission tab at planettrenton.org. Event listings are free and with our new calendar system, it only takes a minute or two to add events. You can also customize your listing with a photo!

Photo/Artist Credit: “Nevertheless, She Persisted”, by Peggy Hracho at Artworks”

TrentonCharmSchool

Amy Brummer is an operations professional who has followed a non-linear career path in the visual and culinary arts for more than 25 years. A tenured Trenton tax-payer, concerned citizen and political observer whose personal and professional interactions span the course of four administrations, she is tapped into the city's cycle of fortune and failure. Ms. Brummer is the founder of the Berenson Fund for Photography at the Arts Council of Princeton and hosts an annual new citizen's swearing-in ceremony in Trenton's City Council Chambers. She currently serves as COO of PTPVentures, Inc, an interventional business consulting agency based in Trenton.